Lock for percussion cap rifle

ABSTRACT

A gunlock having a hammer which pivotally mounts a ratchet member. A separate sear includes a pawl element which engages the ratchet member upon cocking of the hammer. A coil spring device bears against the ratchet so that release of the sear by a trigger causes rapid rotation of the ratchet and commensurate striking of the hammer.

United States Patent Inventors Robert P. Kern 319 E. Main St., Ligonier,Pa. l5658; Allen J. llamm, 251 McKimm Drive, Pittsburgh, Pa. 15239 Appl.No. 771,411

Filed Oct. 29, 1968 Patented May 4, 1971 LOCK FOR PERCUSSION CAP RIFLE 5Claims, 6 Drawing Figs.

U.S. Cl. 42/69, 42/5 1 .Int. Cl F4lc 19/00 Field of Search.....

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 629 3/1838 Hoyt 42,697 5/1864Starr 42/69 152,990 7/1874 Grisham.... 42/69 414,796 11/1889 Comstock.42/69 591,291 10/1897 Pieper 42/69 2,927,390 3/1960 Lewis 42/693,163,951 1/1965 Lewis 42/69 Primary Examiner-Samuel Feinberg AssistantExaminer-C. T. Jordan Attorneys-Clarence A. OBrien and Harvey B.Jacobson ABSTRACT: A gunlock having a hammer which pivotally mounts aratchet member. A separate sear includes a pawl element which engagesthe ratchet member upon cocking of the hammer. A coil spring devicebears against the ratchet so that release of the sear by a triggercauses rapid rotation of the ratchet and commensurate striking of thehammer.

PATENIEQMAY 4:971 3577.667

sum 1 or 2 Ruben P. Ken; 1 Allen J. Hamm INVENTORS WWW PATENTEDHAY 4197'3,577,667

SHEET 2 [IF 2 I Robert P. Kern 92 Allen J. Hamm 1N VIiNTOKg WWW vm 4LOCK FOR PERCUSSION CAP RIFLE The presentinvention relates to a gunlockor percussion cap igniting mechanism. v

In all muzzle loading guns, a charge of powder, wad or the like ignitingsubstance is placed in a firearm chamber by a rod. A-ball or likemissile is placed next to the charge and the wadding is tamped in. Morerecent devices for igniting the charge incorporate a'percussion capwhich is placed in a hollow'ed holder communicating with theaforementioned chamber. Upon depression of a trigger, the hammer strikesthe percussion cap producing a spark which travels into the chamberthereby igniting the charge therein. An explosion results in the chamberwhich propels the missile through the rifle barrel bore, the lattercommunicating with the explosion chamber. I

In the past, percussion cap igniting mechanisms have includ'ed a hammerwhich may be retained in a cocked position by pawl and ratchet members.Toggle linkages are connected between'the pawl and ratchet members andan actuating trigger whereby depression of the trigger causes strikingmotion of the hammer to a firing position. However, the toggle linkageincorporated in such an ignition mechanism usually includes a largenumber of pivotally related parts which 'decreasesthe reliability of themechanism. Further, such rotating parts are prone to wear with age andcontribute to rapid deterioration of the mechanisms utility.

The present invention includes a percussion cap hammer which isconnected to a trigger mechanism by means of interconnected pawl andratchet members; The presentjgnition mechanism reduces the number of.pivotal rotating com ponents previously incorporated by prior artdevices. The

, present ignition mechanism is simple in structure and relativelyinexpensive to fabricate. Further, the inclusion of a minimum number ofpivotally mounted parts contributes to an increased reliability and lifeexpectancy as compared to past devices.

These together with other objects and advantages which will becomesubsequently apparent reside in the details of construction andoperation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference.being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, whereinlike numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIG. I is a side elevational view illustrating the disposition of thepresent lock mechanism on a percussion cap rifle.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the present inventionillustrating the interior components thereof.

FIG. '3 is a top plan view of the present invention as secured to thestock of a rifle.

FIG. 4 is a partial side elevational view illustrating the interiorcomponents of the invention'with the firing hammer in an uncockedposition.

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 with the hammer being displaced to acocked position.

FIG. 6 is a disassembled view illustrating each component of the presentinvention.

Referring to the FIGS. and more particularly FIG. 1, the present lockfor a percussion cap rifle is denoted by reference numeral 10 which ismounted to a side surface of a muzzle loading rifle stock 14 in theusual manner. A trigger I2 is mechanically coupled to a hammer 18 forcausing the same to strike downwardly when the trigger is depressed. Afiring cap I6 is placed within a conventional cap holder I5 whichcommunicates with the firing chamber (not shown). The trigger 12 isgenerally fabricated as a separate member which is adapted to engage thesear of the percussion cap firing mechanism 10 as hereinafter explained.

Referring to FIG. 6, it will be seen that the ignition mechanismincludes a hammer head portion I8 integrally connected with an arcuatelinkage 20 terminating at an outward end thereof in a substantially'circular termination 22 having a square-shaped aperture 24 disposedcentrally therein. The hammer neck and terminal portions 20 and 22respectively are mounted in sliding contact with a generallybanana-shaped plate 26 having an upper arcuate edge 28 stepping down toa through the block element 32 to pennit the insertion of a 1 suitablefastener therethrough for fastening plate 26 to the stock 14 of a rifle.A nut member 38 having a threaded aperture 40 therein is attached to theinward surface of plate 26 and serves to receive a hollowed threadedsetscrew 42.

A mainspring assembly 43 includes an elongated rod 44 which mounts asimilarly elongated compression spring 46 thereon. A first end of rodelement 44 is adapted to be inserted within nut member 38. The hollowsetscrew 42 is adapted to pass through nut member 38, the end of thesetscrew which passes through nut member 38 contacts an adjoining end ofmainspring 46 so that the compressed displacement of spring 46 on rodelement 44 may be varied as the engagement between hollow setscrew 42and nut member 38 is varied. The opposite end of rod element 44 extendsto an axially disposed projection 48. The projection 48 and theadjoining end of rod element 44 are separated by a rectangular shoulderelement 50.

'A ratchet member 52 is disposed between hammer I8 and the rifle trigger12. The ratchet member is seen to include a key element 54 having asquare cross section so that the key is adapted for insertion within asquare keyway 24, the latter being formed in the terminal end portion 22of the hammer head 18.- The ratchet member body itself includes arounded end 56 which perpendicularly mounts the key element 54. Thetoothlike projection 58 extends outwardly from ratchet member 52 from aside of the ratchet member opposite the rounded side 56. The lattermentioned side of the ratchet member further includes additional ratchetteeth 60 and 62. When rotating the hammer I8 rearwardly to a cockedposition, ratchet 52 is similarly rotated due to the key connectiontherebetween.

A sear 64 serves to engage ratchet 52 thereby retaining hammer 18 in acocked position. In particular, the sear 64 includes an offset portion66 extending perpendicularly from an elongated linkage portion 68 whichterminates at the outward end thereof in a pawl 70 having a single pawltooth 72 extending therefrom. An aperture 74 is centrally formed withinpawl 70. A bore 76 is formed transversely of bore 74 within pawl 70. Thefirst end of a small compression spring 78 is adapted to be receivedwithin bore 76.

Referring to FIG. 5, the disposition of spring 78 is more clearly shown.As indicated, the opposite end of spring 78 is received within a bore 80formed in a triangular projection 82, the latter being part of circulardisclike bridle 84. Inclusion of the latter-mentioned spring deviceretains the mating pawl and ratchet members in engagement. The bridle 84includes two apertures formed therein and denoted by 86 and 88. Acentral portion of mounting plate 26 includes apertures 86' and 88therein for alignment with apertures 86 and 88 so that bridle 84 may bemounted to plate 26 by suitable fasteners such as screws 90 and 92. Asseen in FIG. 2, the circularly shaped bridie 84 serves as a dust coverfor the pawl and ratchet mem bers. A third aperture 94 is formed inbridle 84 for receiving a pin projection 93 which is mounted on ratchetmember 52 and extends oppositely with respect to key element 54. Afourth aperture 95 is formed in bridle 84, the latter-mentioned aperturebeing smaller than the previously discussed apertures. Aperture 95permits the introduction of oil therethrough for lubricating the movingparts of the ignition mechanism.

A hollowed cylindrical extension 96 is mounted on the inner surface ofplate 26. The extension includes an axially threaded bore into whichsetscrew is threaded. A second threaded aperture is formed transverselyof the first aperture and receives a second setscrew 98 which is axiallyadjustable. Screw 98 serves as a mechanical limit stop by contactingpawl element 70 when hammer I8 is displaced to a cocked position withsetscrew I00 serving to lock screw 98 in the adjusted position. It willbe noted from theFIG. that in this position, pawl element-72 engagesratchet tooth 60 on ratchet member: 52. By adjusting the position ofscrew 98 with respect to the pawl element 70 of scar 64, thedisplacement of a trigger 12 for firing the firearm is varied asdesired.

In summarizing the operation of the present invention, reference is madeto FIG. 4 which illustrates the hammer l8 in the uncocked position. Itwill be noted that projection element 48 connected to the mainspringassembly 43 engages the surface of ratchet tooth 58. The oppositelydisposed surface of the ratchet tooth engages pawl tooth 72 of scarmember 64. By drawing hammer 18 back, the ignition mechanism is cockedas illustrated in FIG. wherein it is shown that ratchet member 52 isrotated clockwise due to the keyed connection between hammer 18 and theratchet member 52. Rotation of the ratchet member causes compression ofthe mainspring 46. Further, relative motion between the ratchet memberand the pawl element of scar 64 has occurred so that the pawl tooth 72engages the mating surface of tooth 60 on the ratchet member 52. Thecombination of compressive forces due to mainspring 46 acting on ratchetmember 52 and spring 78 acting on pawl element 70 retain hammer IS inthe cocked position.

Referring to FIG. 2, it will be noted that trigger 12 includes anextension 102 adapted to engage the offset portion 66 of scar 64. Thus,upon depression of trigger 12, the sear is rotated upwardly therebycausing disengagement between the pawl and ratchet shown in FIG. 5. Itwill be noted that mainspring 46 is in a compressed state so that'upondisengagement between the pawl and ratchet, projection 48 causes rapidupward pivotal movement of ratchet member 52 which in turn causes thedownward striking motion of hammer l8.

Referring to FIG. 1, it will be seen that the downward displacement ofhammer 18 causes an impact with percussion cap 16 which in turn causesfiring of the firearm as hereinbefore explained. I

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles ofthe invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes willreadily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limitthe invention to the exact construction and operation shown anddescribed, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalentsmay be resorted to, falling within thescope of the invention.

We claim:

l. A percussion cap igniting mechanism forfiring a projectile inresponse to actuation of a trigger comprising a plate member, a hammer,means pivotally mounting the hammer to the plate member, a sear having aportion thereof for contacting a trigger, said sear having a pawlelement, a ratchet member connected in locking engagement with thehammer for rotation therewith, the pawl element of the sear beingengageable with g the ratchet' member upon cocking of the hammer andmeans for causing striking return of the hammer in response todisengagement between the sear and ratchet member, said means forcausing a striking return of the hammer in response to disengagementbetween the scar and theratchet member including a mainspring a rodelement mounting the mainspring, and a projecting element axiallyconnected to the rod element, an adjustable mainspring compressing meanswhich causes a compressive force to beexerted against the ratchet memberresulting in rapid rotation of the ratchet member upon disengagementbetween the ratchet member and the scar, and a bridle member mounted tothe plate member, the bridle member including a bore therein, a boreformed in the scar, and a springmember received at 0pposite ends thereofin the bores for retaining the ratchet member and sear in engagingrelation.

2. An assembly as disclosed in claim 1 wherein said mainspringcompressing means includes an adjusting means whereby the spring caneasily be removed by releasing all of the tension on the spring byrotating the adjusting means.

3. A percussion cap igniting mechanism as described in claim 1 whereinthe bridlemember has a bore in it which provides the ability to add oilto all of the moving parts of said percussion cap igniting mechanism.

4. A percussion cap igniting mechanism as described in claim I whereinsaid bridle member being designed as a circular unit that is easilymanufactured by a screw machine thus decreasing'the cost of themanufacturing.

5. The assembly in claim 4 wherein the bridle member acts as a cover forthe moving parts to protect them from dirt.

1. A percussion cap igniting mechanism for firing a projectile inresponse to actuation of a trigger comprising a plate member, a hammer,means pivotally mounting the hammer to the plate member, a sear having aportion thereof for cOntacting a trigger, said sear having a pawlelement, a ratchet member connected in locking engagement with thehammer for rotation therewith, the pawl element of the sear beingengageable with the ratchet member upon cocking of the hammer and meansfor causing striking return of the hammer in response to disengagementbetween the sear and ratchet member, said means for causing a strikingreturn of the hammer in response to disengagement between the sear andthe ratchet member including a mainspring a rod element mounting themainspring, and a projecting element axially connected to the rodelement, an adjustable mainspring compressing means which causes acompressive force to be exerted against the ratchet member resulting inrapid rotation of the ratchet member upon disengagement between theratchet member and the sear, and a bridle member mounted to the platemember, the bridle member including a bore therein, a bore formed in thesear, and a spring member received at opposite ends thereof in the boresfor retaining the ratchet member and sear in engaging relation.
 2. Anassembly as disclosed in claim 1 wherein said mainspring compressingmeans includes an adjusting means whereby the spring can easily beremoved by releasing all of the tension on the spring by rotating theadjusting means.
 3. A percussion cap igniting mechanism as described inclaim 1 wherein the bridle member has a bore in it which provides theability to add oil to all of the moving parts of said percussion capigniting mechanism.
 4. A percussion cap igniting mechanism as describedin claim 1 wherein said bridle member being designed as a circular unitthat is easily manufactured by a screw machine thus decreasing the costof the manufacturing.
 5. The assembly in claim 4 wherein the bridlemember acts as a cover for the moving parts to protect them from dirt.